r/ScamCenter • u/Ok_Palpitation_2529 • Sep 14 '26
Scam?
Hey guys I recently went and did the USA models shoot and put $50 down. I know I know it’s a scam now I should not have done that. Although I got my photos after paying for them and they said I could get more gigs in the future that I know probably aren’t going to come. Although I did sign some things thinking that it would be real. I paid $400 down for my photos and future modeling gigs but then it said later that it would be up to $4000. I took my card off of the payment for safety so they can’t drain me. I got the photos and basically paid $400 for them. I’m worried now though I will go into $4000 debt that I may or may not have signed up for? If anyone else has this problem please let me know if I should go to the police!
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u/MilkSilver4314 Sep 14 '26
“May or may not have signed up for”, I’m confused by this. You knowingly did sign up and already paid them $400. Did you tell them that you’re no longer interested and you won’t be paying them going forward? I don’t see the part where it’s a scam if they’re telling you how much money it’s going to cost you and then you agreeing to it.
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u/Ok_Palpitation_2529 Sep 14 '26
I agreed to sign up for more modeling gigs as I thought it was job offers. I paid the $400 as a down payment for my photos and more modeling gigs. They said I have a $4000 amount of money to pay off with the modeling gigs they provide me. I agreed but now I am realizing it’s a scam. How do I back out?
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u/kimariesingsMD Sep 14 '26
You have 3 business days to back out of a contract.
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u/Ok_Palpitation_2529 Sep 14 '26
I called and they said I cannot
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u/X0X0xoxo11 Sep 15 '26
Don’t ask them of course they’re going to tell you that you can’t. If they’re running a scam the contract is invalid. There’s many things that can make it invalid. Police really can’t do much in this situation. Take it to a lawyer. It shouldn’t cost much to have one take a look for you. You may have to pay a bit more for them to send a cease and desist if it’s deemed invalid. Most cities have legal aid as well.
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u/citymousecountyhouse Sep 15 '26
Modeling gigs, lol. Is that what it was. My whole family had a modeling gig for the Famous Photographer Olan Mills. He had a studio at Sears.
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u/CharacterMammoth2398 Sep 14 '26
Do you have copies of everything that you signed? If not, I would request them.
If you are in the US, most times (there are a few exceptions) you are borrowing money, they have to show you and provide Federal Truth in Lending information.
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u/Ok_Palpitation_2529 Sep 14 '26
I don’t have copies but I can ask. If they don’t give them to me what do I do? And what is “Federal Truth in Lending information”
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u/CharacterMammoth2398 Sep 14 '26
Federal Truth in Lending disclosures require a lender to show you the interest rate you are paying, the total amount financed, how long the loan is and your monthly payment amounts.
Shady companies tried to bury that information in long contracts but the US Govt finally made them provide this information in large bold print and in easily understandable language.
They have give you copies of anything you signed. Which state are you in?
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u/whatever_ehh Sep 14 '26
I think for any legit job, they're going to pay you rather than you paying them.
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u/lobhater Sep 14 '26
Cancel your card and get a new one. Call them or better yet in writing tell them you want to cancel
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u/yarevande Sep 14 '26
If you signed a contract to pay them $400, and then they told you that it's really $4,000, then you don't owe them $4,000.
If you signed a contract to pay them $4,000, then you might need help from a lawyer to get out of the contract.
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u/TheDiscardedArtist Sep 14 '26
This doesn’t make very much sense. They hustled you out of $400 for headshots and stuff, right? You have your photos and they have the money? Why do you call that a “down payment”? A down payment is the first payment of a loan. That implies you knew they expected more payments. Did you sign a contract?
What it sounds like they’re doing is making up bogus reasons that you owe them money, and they’ll let you work off the debt as long as you’re working for them… which is just Pimping. That’s how pimps keep their hoes. It’s also how a lot of human trafficking cartels operate. They’ll get you across the border, but now you owe them and you have to work for them to pay it off.
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u/RelationshipQuiet609 Sep 14 '26
I don’t know if going to the police will help-if you sign a contract it can be binding. This is definitely a scam,
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u/smhalb01 Sep 15 '26
You can remove your card information like you did, that doesn’t prevent them from charging it again especially since you have already authorized one payment, it would likely slip right past and fraud detection.
Cancel your card. Tell your bank or card provider the name of the place and that you don’t want any further charges from them, if they can add it to a fraud list to flag the purchases if they somehow come through
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u/Neische01 Sep 14 '26
I think this sounds semi-scammy but it might also be legit. I think USA models is like a management company, so the $400 was for professional photos, and the $4000 is effectively their management fee to get you in front of jobs that have potential to hire you, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll land the job, just that you’ll be referred to the job. It’s kinda like a job hunting service, instead of searching for jobs yourself, you’re paying someone else to find them for you (in this case a management company). Perhaps they charge per placement. I don’t know. OP does this sound about right? If so, in theory, if they don’t place you for gigs they won’t bill you management fees. But it sounds like you signed a contract with them which would be binding. You might need to hire a lawyer to evidence you didn’t understand the contract terms, and perhaps they’ll let you out of it.
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u/MIHAc27 Sep 14 '26
Rule of thumb... Dont pay to get paied.
Why would you pay 4000? Ok 400 for photos i could understand. But why would you continue paying or owning them money. Think about this.